#AlexFromTarget: A Primer On North Texas Teen Who Went Viral

Target sent out a tweet with this image earlier in November. Alex Lee of Frisco is the teen behind the #AlexFromTarget online craze.

Twitter/@Target

Have you heard the online craze about Alex from Target? He’s real -- and he's from North Texas. He’s had a wild November.

Let’s recap the main events.

Listen

Listening...

/

3:59

The KERA Radio story.

Alex Lee was just a normal suburban teenager, working a side job at a Target in Frisco, ringing up groceries and clothes.Life for the Frisco 16-year-old changed Nov. 2 when this photo was shared on social media.

We value Alex as a team member and from the first moment we saw this photo beginning to circulate, we shared that the Target team was as surprised as anyone. That remains the truth today. Let us be completely clear, we had absolutely nothing to do with the creation, listing or distribution of the photo.

Alex flew to Los Angeles to appear on Ellen DeGeneres' TV show:

Earlier this week, Alex appeared on CNBC to talk about the power of social media:

People have leaked the family’s personal information online, including Social Security numbers, bank accounts and phone records. The family, worried for the safety of Alex and his five siblings, has been in contact with the local police. Alex’s parents have met with his school’s principal and security officers, as well as Target managers, to put together security plans in case of an emergency.

Alex is still working at Target, although he’s not working as a cashier -- at least for now. Instead, The Times says, he’s back in the stockroom.